Mr. and Mrs. Blair - Some Get Better Equipment and Services Than Others
"Distressed" and "oppressed," is how Tony and Connie Blair describe the city of Gary and the Northwest Indiana region where the Blind Social Center is located. They founded the center in 2014 after Mr. Blair, a general contractor, lost his eyesight to glaucoma. In a 2021 interview, the Blairs talk…
Title
Mr. and Mrs. Blair - Some Get Better Equipment and Services Than Others
Subject
Disability Rights Movement
Government Services
Visual Disability
Assistive Technology
Description
"Distressed" and "oppressed," is how Tony and Connie Blair describe the city of Gary and the Northwest Indiana region where the Blind Social Center is located. They founded the center in 2014 after Mr. Blair, a general contractor, lost his eyesight to glaucoma. In a 2021 interview, the Blairs talk about gaps in resources they sought to address for people who are blind or have visual impairments. They discuss geographical and racial disparities in disability services, technology resources, and funding for not-for-profit organizations. "As a Black individual, we know that what we desire will come to us when it's time for it to come to us. Even though we can push and we can push, it doesn't materialize until, unfortunately, the Caucasian sector of the world say, 'OK, you can have it.'"
Difference in language and communication is one of the barriers to successful grant applications the Blairs identify. "The terminology that is used in one sector of the world is not used in the Black urban community." With an absence of donors of means, "we've done all these things pretty much out of our pocket." "We look at a problem, we try to figure out how to fix it."
Difference in language and communication is one of the barriers to successful grant applications the Blairs identify. "The terminology that is used in one sector of the world is not used in the Black urban community." With an absence of donors of means, "we've done all these things pretty much out of our pocket." "We look at a problem, we try to figure out how to fix it."
Creator
Indiana Disability History Project
Publisher
Center for Health Equity at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community and Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities
Date
2021-03-09
Contributor
Tony Blair - interviewee
Connie Blair - interviewee
Jane Harlan-Simmons - interviewer
Peggy Holtz - videographer/editor
Rights
Copyright © 2021 The Trustees of Indiana University
Format
video/mp4
Language
English
Type
Moving Image
Identifier
183-mi-01
Access Rights
Open to all users
Bibliographic Citation
"Mr. and Mrs. Blair - Some Get Better Services and Equipment Than Others," YouTube video, 00:06:37, from an interview by the Indiana Disability History Project, posted by "Indiana Disability History" on November 5, 2021, https://youtu.be/ijR-DiIGlwI
Spatial Coverage
Indiana, Lake County, Gary
Temporal Coverage
2014 - 2021
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